Pottery May Spruce Up Retail Area

JAMES CITY — The James City shopping site hopes to go high-end but could face questions about traffic impact and natural buffers.

The Williamsburg Pottery, a 200-acre hodgepodge of retail shops in James City County, will soon request permission to raze everything between the railroad tracks and Richmond Road to revitalize its shopping area.

The $16 million project, dubbed The Promenade, would create 155,000 square feet for stores and 6,000 square feet for a pair of restaurants on about one-third of the Pottery's retail area.

Project officials would like to begin construction in early 2008, but the county will present some serious hurdles when the process comes before the Planning Commission next month.

Supervisor Bruce Goodson was quick to compliment any plan that revitalizes the Pottery's much-derided mishmash appearance and increases the county's tax base. And even though he called the location ideal for a rejuvenated development, he predicts a serious discussion over how the project could affect traffic.

Likely to be at the lead of that February debate is Planning Commissioner Jim Kennedy. "I'm going to have major concerns with traffic," Kennedy said. "If we keep clogging our arteries, we're going to have problems here."

More than 3 million people visit the Pottery's 30-odd stores every year, according to its Web site.

Pottery executives were out of town on Monday and were unavailable for comment.

But traffic is just one of Kennedy's concerns. He also worries about an over-saturation of retail stores in the area, wondering if the community can support more shopping options.

He is concerned that the county is dangerously close to suffering urban blight and noted that stores are already going out of business across the county.

Kennedy and other planning commissioners said the Pottery's request for smaller natural buffers would also need close scrutiny. Unlike New Town, which is appealing for thinner buffers along Route 199 as the last piece of its development puzzle, this would create a potentially dangerous precedent for the Pottery's undeveloped neighbors along Route 60, Kennedy said.

A public meeting will be held 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Pottery's restaurant to discuss all aspects of the project. County officials will attend, many to see the proposal for the first time.

James E. Maloney founded the Pottery in 1938 as a roadside shop off Route 60, and it grew into a complex of no-frills stores selling thousands of products, from silverware to Christmas decorations. The Pottery has long offered the potpourri of merchandise, earning nicknames such as the "Bizarre Bazaar."

But for all its quirks, the Pottery is often cited as the engine that helped bring other discount retailers to James City, including Prime Outlets with its 90 vendors.

Because the original kiln was moved across the railroad tracks decades ago, the round building is the only structure of historical note to be razed for the project.

Despite feelings of nostalgia for the original building, Goodson said businesses must change to stay ahead.

"Every once in a while, you need to generate new interest and rejuvenate," Goodson said. "It's got to be a positive when you redevelop an old property into something new."

The Pottery is already in talks with high-end retailers, said Bob Singley, the project manager with developer RJS Associates. Some existing stores in the county will likely move into the new complex, he said, should the county approve rezoning plans.

Construction work would be done in three phases to allow some businesses to remain open.

Other county officials held off on forming opinions until they can see the proposal. Planning Commissioner Tony Obadal said he would look closely at the parking needs. The plans call for 835 parking spaces on the Richmond Road side of the property.

"I think this is the kind of development that can be important for the county." Obadal said. "But we need to see what people in the area feel about it." *

WILLIAMSBURG POTTERY'S HISTORY IN THE AREA

1933: James E. Maloney builds his first kiln on Monticello mountain, near Charlottesville.

1938: Maloney marries Gloria Thacker. They move to James City County and start the Williamsburg Pottery with an investment of $150.

1960s-70s: The Pottery begins its foray into international import buying, beginning with a $500,000 investment in merchandise. The investment proves so successful that it increases to more than $20 million in goods purchased annually.

1980s: Annual gross revenue more than triples, from $20 million to $25 million at the beginning of the decade to $60 million to $80 million by the late 1980s, according to published estimates by independent business analysts.

1995: The Pottery has grown from half an acre to more than 300 acres.

2005: James E. Maloney dies.

2006: The James Maloney Foundation is created, which will be funded by the Pottery's donation of 1 percent of all sales each year.